Cato's Hike: A Programming and Logic Odyssey

Teacher Overview

This is a great programming and coding app that can cater for all ages from Key stage 1 to more complex levels for Key stage 4.

Cato is a cute character that embarks on a coding adventure to navigate mazes, unlock doors, collect stars and rescue damsels in distress. The app provides excellent tutorial stages that will help students understand how the app works, its commands and features. This app works very similar to other coding apps where students are encouraged to problem solve by dragging coding icons into a programming list. Once in place the student can run the program to see if it completes the task.

They are more than one way to solve each level and once students have accomplished the basics they can experience the other levels or create their own mazes and coding. Personal coding can be shared with others via email.

This is a superb app that can cater for many age groups and can be used to teach basic coding or simply let students go wild by creating their own coding master pieces.

Screenshots

Developer Description

"Who says that computer programming should only be left to the adults?... although Cato’s Hike is geared towards children, it can definitely unlock the little programmer in all of us." --

Cato is a little boy who just like every little boy likes to go out and play. One fine day Cato was playing outside when a portal to another world opened up in front of him; a portal to another world!

Cato stepped through and discovered that this world unlike his own didn't follow the same rules. Every time he tried to take a step or an action he'd find himself stuck in place. Stuck that is until he finally discovered the rules in this universe: by writing a program for himself he would be able to overcome all obstacles and learn something new along the way!

Features:
* Simple programming interface using beautiful cards with pictures
* A visual manual to help guide parents and more interested users
* Loops, branches and if/else, goto labels, looking and chaining looks to look ahead, goto's, and simple memory using colored flags are the main tools used to introduce programming
* 60 levels and 12 tutorials (always working to add more!)
* Powerful map editor so you can create your own maps and puzzles and share with friends
* Preview your maps directly in the map editor to save time and test out your maps more quickly!
* Saves program progress so you can pick up at any time and iteratively develop
* Email your puzzle solutions to share your genius with others
* Beautiful artwork and amusing sound effects and music
* Puzzles ranging from easy to hard to teach different programming concepts without trying to force them
* Emailed maps include gorgeous screenshot of what you are sending so your friends know what to expect
* Cato's Hike teaches children (ages 5+) the essentials of programming and how to think about solving complex problems
* The challenges in there are solvable easily by children of all ages but more nuanced and complex solutions should challenge teenagers and parents alike!
* Just a fun puzzle game :)

Essentially, 'Cato’s Hike' is a universal game for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to teach kids and young children basic programming skills. The younger ones will obviously enjoy solving levels using simpler coding techniques but the hope is the older ones will pick up more advanced concepts like loops and branching as well as even more advanced concepts like a basic stack or memory! There is enough in here to keep everyone from children to parents engaged! More challenges are upcoming however so stay tuned!

As with all my projects I take this one very seriously and I hope you enjoy. I intend to continue improving Cato's Hike as much as possible and incorporate your feedback and suggestions as well as try to make it more intuitive and better able to convey the concepts it is setting out to teach. If you have any questions, suggestions, ideas, or bugs you'd like to report please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly at: hesham.wahba@gmail.com